Voici trois communiqués de presse des Amis de la Terre Angleterre/Pays de
Galle/Irlande du Nord ("FoE EWNI").
-16 February 1999 / 5 YEAR FREEZE ON GM CROPS, FOOD AND PATENTS: NEW COALITION
- 17 February / MONSANTO IN COURT OVER GM CROP SAFETY
- 12 February 1999 / FOE DIRECTOR WRITES TO PM OVER SACKED GM SCIENTIST
5 YEAR FREEZE ON GM CROPS, FOOD AND PATENTS: NEW COALITION
Giant ice cube highlights environmental risk of Frankenstein technology
PHOTOCALL: 09:45 am Tuesday 16 February 1999 at Lambeth Pier (Corner
Lambeth Palace Road and Lambeth Bridge on embankment).
A giant ice cube (three feet high) containing ‘mutated' fish and maize
will be unveiled opposite the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday morning
to draw attention to the risks of genetic modification. The event marks
the launch of a campaign calling on the government to impose a five year
freeze on genetic engineering and patenting in food and farming.
The ice cube will be delivered at 9:45 and will be constructed by people
wearing white protection suits. The delivery will be watched by leading
campaigners including Dr Vandana Shiva from ActionAid - a leading
campaigner in India - and Malcolm Walker, Chief Executive of Iceland
Foods.
At 11am MPs will attend a briefing in the House of Commons. Speakers
include Dr Shiva, Malcolm Walker, Dr Vyvyan Howard, Toxicologist, and Dr
Simon
Lyster from the Wildlife Trusts.
For information call:
Cindy Baxter/Jenny Driscoll: ActionAid 0171 561 7614 or 0831 391 131
Neil Verlander Friends of the Earth 0171 566 1649/ 0385 236 974;
Sandra Bell: 0171 837 0642
The Five Year Freeze Campaign
An unprecedented coalition of 29 consumer, development, health and
environment organisations have united to call for a five year freeze on
GE crops and food. Members include: ActionAid, Action against Allergy,
Biodynamic Agriculture Association, British Society of Nature
Conservation, Catholic Institute for International Relations, Centre
for Alternative Technology, Christian Aid, Elm Farm Research Centre,
Farming and Livestock Concern, FLAG, Food for Health Network, Food
Commission, Friends of the Earth, Gaia Foundation, Genetics Forum,
Genetix Food Alert, GenetiX Snowball, GeneWatch, Greenpeace, Guild of
Food Writers, Iceland Foods, Islamic Foundation for Ecology and
Environment, Neal's Yard Remedies, Soil Association, The Townswomens
Guild, The Vegetarian Society, The Wildlife Trusts, Women's
Environmental Network, World Development Movement.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONSANTO IN COURT OVER GM CROP SAFETY
Friends of the Earth calls for Crown Court prosecution
Photo Opportunity:
Frankenstein will be outside Caistor Magistrates. Campaigners will also
be in attendance carrying placards
10am, Wednesday 17 February, Caistor Magistrates Court, Court House,
South Street, Caistor, Lincolnshire
Friends of the Earth is calling on the Health and Safety Executive to
request that the forthcoming prosecution of leading biotech company,
Monsanto - for allegedly failing to comply with safety rules governing
trial planting of genetically modified (GM) crops - be referred to the
Crown Court. The maximum fine that the Magistrates Court can impose is
£20,000. An unlimited fine can be imposed by the Crown Court.
The court case, on Wednesday 17 February, is being brought by the Health
and Safety Executive following an inspection (on 5 June 1998) of a trial
site of GM winter oilseed rape at Rothwell in Lincolnshire. Monsanto has
said it is not contesting the case. Perryfield Holdings is also being
prosecuted over the same alleged incident.
Pete Riley, Senior Food Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
"The public is deeply worried about the release of genetic pollution
into the environment. And rightly so. If a company has broken the rules
and put the environment at risk then it should be punished. This case is
serious enough to go to the Crown Court,where the judge can hand out a
large fine if the company is found guilty."
Friends of the Earth's senior food campaigner Pete Riley will be in
Caistor from Tuesday afternoon 16 February, until after the court case
the next day. He can be contacted on 0385 236977 (mobile) or 01523 703499
(pager).
Notes:
1. The companies concerned are alleged to have contravened Section 111
(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday 12 February 1999
FOE DIRECTOR WRITES TO PM OVER SACKED GM SCIENTIST
Following the growing scandal of Dr Pusztai's summary dismissal from the
Rowett Institute last year; mounting circumstantial evidence of
political interference at the heighest levels to promote GM foods, and
the deepening public concern over the safety of genetically modified
(GM) food and crops, Charles Secrett, Director of Friends of the Earth
has written a letter to the Prime Minister Tony Blair calling on him to:
- hold a full public inquiry into the circumstances of Dr
Pusztai's forced dismissal in August 1998 from the Institute, which
included denying him access to his own team's research findings and a
prohibition on his speaking publicly about this work;
- use his influence to ensure that the still standing prohibition
which prevents Dr Pusztai from speaking freely on this issue is lifted
in the public interest;
- immediately introduce a minimum five year moratorium on the
commercial growing, testing for commercial purposes and sale of GM foods
and animal feeds in the UK;
- instruct the UK delegation at the United Nations Biosafety
Protocol negotiations, beginning in Columbia this week-end, to ensure
that the Protocol guarantees strong statutory safeguards to protect the
environment and human health from GM organisms and allows individual
nations to ban such organisms and any products derived from them;
- issue an unequivocal public statement about the substance of all
discussions and correspondence in 1998 between the Prime Minister and
President Clinton on genetic engineering, genetically modified foods and
products, and companies involved in this industry.
Gill Lacroix
Friends of the Earth Europe
Biotechnology Programme
"The US government has put American farming profits before public health in
a vast, uncontrolled global experiment". (The Observer, 14.02.99)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sandrine Gill, Jaspal & Helder De Oliveira
jasahel@magic.fr
62 rue d'Hautpoul 75019 Paris
tél. 33/0 142 00 33 61
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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